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Planet Hollywood Studios is an aggregated list of feeds from the Disney internet community all over the web, filtered to only show news about Disney's Hollywood Studios. It looks through feeds from the internet's leading sources on Walt Disney World news and displays items that pertain to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

New Hidden Mickeys appear on Disney property at a relatively constant rate. Disney doesn’t keep an official list of Hidden Mickeys; they just place new Hidden Images and wait for us to find them! Alas, Hidden Mickeys are also lost constantly, for example, when an area or attraction is refurbished. ...

A new offering is coming to Frozen Summer Fun at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that will give kids a chance to prepare for Coronation Day in Arendelle. Beginning July 26, kids ages 3-12 can undergo a transformation into Anna, Elsa or Olaf to prepare for all the Frozen fun happening at Hollywood Studios. The Boutique will […]Read more

Thundershowers kept crowds quite low for the days following the July 4th holiday last Saturday. Like New Year’s Day, the crowds following an evening celebration can be fairly light but this year they were especially light after July 4th. By mid-week we saw crowds return to expected levels. The Disney World Crowd Calendar predictions for Magic Kingdom continue to be excellent with only one day missing by more than one index level – on Saturday.

Let’s look at how the crowd levels stacked up each day last week on the Disney World Crowd Calendar Report:

July 4th is a perennial spike on the Disney World Crowd Calendar but last Sunday we saw a significant hangover effect the day after. Guests who visited late into the evening on July 4th were likely discouraged by the poor weather as well and chose to stay away from the parks.

By Monday, crowds returned to normal at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios while wait times still lagged at Epcot and Animal Kingdom. Crowd levels at those two parks were the same as the previous day.

On Tuesday, Magic Kingdom began a streak of days at a level ‘9’ on our scale. There we saw average waits like 47 minutes at Jungle Cruise (predicted 37) and 84 minutes at Space Mountain (predicted 62).

Resort-wide Wednesday we saw a level ‘8’ crowd, the average over the summer months. Epcot was the best park to visit with average wait times like 72 minutes at Soarin’ and 60 minutes at Test Track. Mission: SPACE Orange had a ridiculously high average wait of 84 minutes, likely an indication that the ride experienced technical delays.

Thursday’s wait times were high again at Magic Kingdom but the other three parks saw wait times only a little above average. For example, Soarin’ averaged 69 minutes, Star Tours averaged 22 and Primeval Whirl averaged 21.

Magic Kingdom crowds were busy again on Saturday but crowd levels went the opposite direction at Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Animal Kingdom hit a level ‘5’ similar to what we saw all week at that park except for Wednesday when it hosted Extra Magic Hour morning.

Now that July 4th has passed we enter a period of 6 to 8 weeks where crowds will be fairly similar day-to-day varying only when the weather affects crowds. Next week we expect more crowd levels between ‘6’ and ‘8’ on our scale.

To see Walt Disney World Crowd predictions for the days of your vacation, check the Crowd Calendar.

To get details about our predictions of future crowds or details about crowds in the past check out the Crowd Calendar and select “Jump to Date” on the left margin.

Have a little Frozen fan who wants to prepare for Coronation Day? Well, soon, they will be able to at the Ice Palace Boutique at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during the Frozen Summer Fun event! Here, guests will be able to to undergo a transformation at the wintry-themed salon which will be located on Commissary Lane across the way from ABC Commissary.

So how does this differ from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique? Well here, the whole family can get in on the fun, because there are select packages that will be available where families can enjoy the excitement too! Members of the party will be able to enjoy the exclusive Ice Palace Cafe, where there will be Frozen-inspired snacks. Also, Guests will get a reserved seating for one showing of “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” at Hyperion Theater.

There will be three different packages that Guests can select from. They are:

Ice Palace Boutique Package – This package includes the items offered in the Frozen Summer Fun Boutique Package. It also includes access to the Ice Palace Café and reserved seating at one of the “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” shows. Cost is $175 and includes tax.

Ice Palace Boutique Deluxe Package – This package includes an Anna or Elsa costume plus the items offered in the Ice Palace Boutique Package. Cost is $240 and includes tax.

The Ice Palace Boutique Package and the Ice Palace Boutique Deluxe Package is for up to 6 guests, including the child getting the magical transformation.

For those with boys in the family, they can take part in an Olaf-inspired package that includes a glitter hairstyle and Olaf tee-shirt. Reservations are not required for this package and will only be available on-site at the location. Cost is $19.95, plus tax.

Reservations can be made beginning July 17 by calling 407-827-7400. The Ice Palace Boutique will be open beginning July 26 through the end of the Frozen Summer Fun event, which officially ends on September 7.

Not all that long ago (a little more than a year-and-a-half, to be specific), the four Disney Food Trucks were THE newest thing on the dining scene in Downtown Disney. But with all the dining additions to the ever-transforming, will-one-of-these-days-be Disney Springs over the past year, it’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to check out what’s changed at the Trucks!

So our stop today is Namaste Cafe (most often found in Exposition Park on the West Side), the truck inspired by dishes typically served at Animal Kingdom as well as Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The Tandoori Shrimp is served with a simple side of basmati rice and spicy pickled veggies. The sauce you see topping the shrimp is a rather unexpected curry mustard cream sauce, which had a little kick of spice along with the pronounced mustard flavor (keep that in mind if, like me, you aren’t super keen on oodles of mustard). Thankfully, one of the Cast Members recommended a side of the sauce that typically tops the Butter Chicken along with it, which is a smooth blend of butter, tomato puree, and spices like Garam Masala.

Tandoori Shrimp with Pickled Vegetables and Basmati Rice

I took them up on it, and I found it to be much more enjoyable than the mustard sauce that already comes with the dish. I did enjoy, though, the blend of tandoori spice (flavors such as ginger, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne pepper) that lends an exotic flavor to the dish — a very mild heat with just a hint of sweetness from the ginger.

I focus on the sauces and spices because the unique flavor blends are a major part of the dishes here, but I certainly want to talk about the shrimp itself, especially considering I’ve had some not-so-great experiences with shrimp at Disney World in the past.

Tandoori Shrimp

For instance, the Seafood Macaroni and Cheese is a terrific dinner-only dish at Columbia Harbour House. I loved it for the lobster (and the mac and cheese, of course!), but I found the shrimp to be pallid and lackluster. I’m happy to say that in this instance the shrimp was well-cooked and prepared, and the way the spices char slightly during the cooking process gives it something extra.

The Tandoori Shrimp is definitely a unique option at the trucks — and among the majority of Disney World Counter Service restaurants, come to think of it (by the way, the Food Trucks do accept Counter Service credits on the Disney Dining Plan). Overall, I think shrimp fans will have reason to be pleased. Personally speaking, though, my top choice at Namaste Café remains the Butter Chicken or the Dipping Safari, which provides the opportunity to experience several flavors along with fresh Naan bread and some nearly baseball-sized samosas.

Samosas and Naan Dipping Safari at Namaste Cafe

Still, it remains a very fun thing to see some of the creative dishes that come out of the Disney Food Trucks as they continue to provide items outside the norm. So if you find yourself looking for a quick bite while touring Downtown Disney, I’d suggest stopping by the Trucks to check out what’s new!

Have you had the chance to dine at the Disney Food Trucks? Please let us know about your experience with a comment!

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com!
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Looks like the elves are already starting to gear up for the holidays… . Could it really be that a special holiday meal is coming to Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

Hollywood and Vine

A mysterious menu has appeared on the My Disney Experience app! At the time, it seems this menu is viewable on Android devices, but NOT on iDevices. Still, what’s remarkable about this menu is not the items themselves (standard items for the Hollywood & Vine buffet), but

the NAME: Minnie’s Holiday & Dine Dinner!

Minnie’s Holiday & Dine menu screenshot

How much fun would it be to dine with Minnie and friends all dressed up in their holiday finery?

This experience is currently not bookable (even on an Android phone), and a call to WDW-DINE — as of the time of this publishing — has revealed no further information. However, “Dinner” disappears as an option for Hollywood & Vine on the Disney World website beginning November 7th, so there is reason to believe that might be the start date.

November 6th screenshot with Dinner

November 7th screenshot without Dinner

If this special meal does indeed come to pass, it would certainly make sense judging from the success of the Jedi Mickey Character Dining Meal available at this venue during Star Wars Weekends, and the popularity of special holiday events in general, don’t you think? We will be sure to keep our holiday eyes-and-ears peeled, and will keep you posted here on the DFB!

With detailed descriptions and photos of every holiday event and activity happening at the parks and resorts this year —- including tips on how to make the best use of your time and money when visiting — it’s the perfect way to get you planning started.

This comprehensive book includes everything you need to know to plan your holiday visit to Walt Disney World. And it’s got a 100% money back guarantee!

What do you think of the possibility of Minnie’s Holiday & Dine? Please let us know with a comment!

Disney Food Blog Fans, be sure to check out our DFB Disney World Dining Guide e-Books! Find great deals at DFBStore.com!
Also, come on over and: